Pipe casting apparatus



0d. 22, 1940. K|RBY 2,219,012

' PIPE CASTING APFARATUS Fi led Ma, 11, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Bi V I, ///IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA /35 5 INVENTOR.

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ATTORN 0d. 22, 1940. J, K|RBY 2,219,012

PIPE CASTING APPARATUS Filed ma 11, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 a in 3 l5: 4

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INVENTOR Y. \IY ATTORNE m TMM x w www 2% W Q a 7 7 HI 0. 9 wn T lm mfi a 3 z flzu Mum g Oct. 22, 1940.

J. ,F. KIRBY PIPE CASTING APPARATUS Filed May 11, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORN ,6.

Patented Oct. 22, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,219,012 PIPE onsme APPARATUS John F. Kirby, Somerville, J., assignor to Somerville Iron Works,

'Somerville, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 11, 1937, Serial No. 141,912

3 Claims.

The process which is usually employed for producing pipes from cast iron, or other materials, wherein the material is through gates extending longitudinally of the g mold, is open to various objections, among which there may be mentioned, specifically, the fact that such procedure is likely to produce imperfect castings owing to inclusions of slag'floating to the top of the iron in the mold, and collecting along the lines of the gate openings, and also owing to oxidation of the iron occurring along the gate openings due to exposure of iron to the air at this opening as the casting solidifies and cools. -Moreover, there may be produced surface irregularities corresponding to the gate openings, resulting in the casting being defective. Of prime importance is the fact that such castings show nonuniform thickness, and, because of this and other defects, exhibit lack of strength and general weaknesses against strain and pressure.

One way of avoiding difficulties of the character referred to above, is to cast the pipes'vertically so as to localize atthe upper end of the cast pipes the inherent defects causedby oxidation and slag inclusions, and then severing the defective end of the pipe from the remaining sound portion of the casting. Obviously, this procedure is impracticable, or at least impractical where the unsoundness or imperfection in the casting extends for a substantial length therealong.

However, the practice of vertically casting pipes is difficult owing to the difficulty involved in making vertical molds, and also because the 35 difficulties increase with increasing length of the casting to be produced, which length, therefore, becomes limited.

The present inventio provides an improved procedure for casting pipes in horizontal molds, which procedure obviates the commonly occurring sources of defects in the castings as above described, one of the objects of the invention being to provide a casting procedure which minimizes contact between the solidifying metal and the air, producing thereby improved uniformity of material, both as to surface, thickness and quality over the entire casting.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction in which defects in the product due 50 to uncertainty of the human element in handling the ladles are materially lessened.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved gate construction for the casting mold which enables the accomplishing of the re- 55 sults indicated above.

flowed into the mold (oi. 22-1s1) A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved gate construction which will act to reduce the amount of the inclusions of slag in the poured castings.

Further'objects and advantages of the present 5 improved construction will become apparent as the description proceeds, and the features of novelty will be pointed out in particularity in the appended claims.

The invention accordingly comprises thesev- 10 eral steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the apparatus embodying features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims. f

Generally speaking, the present invention provides a procedure and molds for producing cast iron pipesin which the molds are disposed horizontally and the metal flows into the molds through gates positioned in the ends of the molds, the mold cavities being unexposed to the open air except through vents suitably provided in "the molds to permit escape of air which would be 25.

otherwise entrapped in the molds by the incoming metal which flows into the molds from both ends thereof through restricted channels or runners which connect the sprues, located at points adja-. cent to the ends of the molds, with the gates. These restricted channels are dimensioned so as to serve to permit the metal to flow freely through the gates to fill the cavities of the molds while holding back at least a substantial quantity of slag which is associated with the metal being 85 poured. 3 The invention will be understood more readily by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: I Fig. .1 is an isometric view showing a pair of; 49 pipe sections which have been cast in accordance with the present invention, the view showing the pipes with a portion of their length removed for enabling the view to be shown within its allotted I space, the castings otherwise being shown asthey are removed from the mold; a

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the castings illustrated inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through one of the castings of Figs. 1 and 2, the view being taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view of one end, i. e., the left-hand end, of the castings of Figs. 1, 2 or 3, the view be:-

' is superposedon the drag-"section, thedra'g' and cope sections are clamped together as indicated in Figs. 9, 10and 11, and the completed mold is filled with molten metal poured through sprue openings 93 and 99, the opening 93 being'adjacent to the female end of the molds, while the sprue opening 99 is adjacent to the male ends' of the mold. x

From the sprue opening 93, the metal flows throughgate runners 95 into the female end gate impressions 89, I3, thence through openings 85, H, into the mold proper. At substantially the same time, metal being poured through the sprue opening 99 flows through male gate runners I into the male end gate impressions 81, 15, thence through the gate openings 83 into the mold cavity. The mold cavity thereby becomes filled with metal entering the molds from the ends to form the castings I and I1 of Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive; and it will be apparent that the ring 39 (Fig. 1) of the male end gate 29 of each casting corresponds to the gate impressions 81, 75, of Fig. 9, the webs II to the gate openings 83, the sprue casting 33 to the sprue opening 99 (Fig. and the gate runner casting 3| to the gate runners IOI of Fig. 10.

At the opposite end of the castings, the sprue casting 21 corresponds to the sprue opening 93, the gate runner casting 25 corresponds to the gate runners 95. Also each ring 35 of the female end gates 23 corresponds to the gate impressions 89, 13, the webs 3'! correspond to the gate openings 85, II, the end collar 2I of each casting corresponds to the impressions 8|, 61, and the annular collar 22 of each casting corresponds to the impressions 84, 82.

Where the molds are filled with metal entering the mold cavity from each end, it is necessary to provide suitable vents for the escape of air which would be entrapped otherwise. A suitable form of vent is shown at 9| in Fig. 9, it being understood, of course, that additional vent openings may be provided along the length of the molds, if such be desired. For ordinary use, the usual vents, not shown, in core arbor 53 will suffice.

The sprue-hole 93 for the sprue casting 21 and the imprint 95 for the gate runner casting 25 are shown at one end of Fig. 10. The gate runner imprints are in the sand of the drag flask only. The imprint 95 is shown deeper at 91, where it connects with the female gate imprint 13. In like manner there are shown at the opposite end of Fig. 10 the sprue-hole 99 for the sprue casting 33, and the imprint IOI for the gate runner casting 3I, which imprint MI is shown as being deeper at I03 where it connects with the male gate imprint 15. The connection between the imprint 91 and the gate impressions 13 in each of the adjacent molds is indicated at 91 in Fig. 11.

In order to bring the cope and drag flasks into exact alignment for pouring the metal, they may be provided with suitable pins and pin-receiving holes into which the said pins are adapted .to fit. Thus, pins I05 and I0! on the drag flask fit into holes I09 and III provided in lugs H3 and 5 on the cope flask, and pins H1 and H9 on the cope flask fit into holes I2I and I23 provided in lugs I25 and I2! on the drag flask.

The drag and cope flasks are provided also with clamping pads, one of which is indicated at I29 in Fig. 12. Four of such pads are provided on each of the drag and cope flasks.

Figs. 12 and 13 show, respectively, the drag and cope mold sections separated from each other and with the core structures removed, 'in stead'of in assembled position for pouring, as illustrated in Figs. 9,10 and 11. Figs. 12 and 13 show the impressions ofthe patterns in the sand of each section."

While the improved practice according to the present invention has been illustrated and described in connection with the casting of iron screw-pipe, it is obviously of general application to'- the production of cast pipe of any type or of any material, steel, glass, or other moldable composition. Under the present invention, also, the metal flows more freely and more uniformly from the ladle on to its final position, and the necessarily non-uniform muscular and nervous tension of the ladle operator is much less reflected in non-uniformity of product than under the present practise. This is made possible by the construction of the molds to form cleaning rings 81 and 89 which serve to cushion the molten iron against irregular pouring before admitting it to the mold and also, with the constricted design of the gates serve to strain out and retain any impurities in the molten metal.

While the invention has been described particularly with reference to the production of cast iron pipes, it will be understood that the invention is not limited necessarily to the production of iron pipes, since, obviously other materials may be employed in a similar manner, among these materials being steel, glass or any other plastic moldable composition.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the invention is not limited, necessarily, to the specific details of the process and construction as are herein specifically described, but it will be apparent that such details are subject to various modifications which will become apparent readily to one skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention; and it will be understood, therefore, that it is intended and desired to include within the scope of the invention such modifications and changes as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditions and uses. It is to be understood also that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for the stationary casting of pipe, comprising a horizontal flask body including a cooperating cope flask and a drag flask, each filled with molding material; and a core-arbor supported within said flask body and having a core member thereon; said moldingmaterial and said core member cooperating to define a mold cavity; constricted gates at each end thereof; means for venting said cavity; sprue hole means for each of said gates; and runner means connecting said sprue hole means with each of said gates.

- 2. Apparatus for the stationary casting of pipe, comprising a horizontal flask body including a cope flask and a drag flask; a vented core-arbor supported within said flask body having a core member thereon; molding material packed into said flask body to define a mold cavity in cooperation with said core member and being formed at the ends thereof in the means for supporting said core-arbor; constricted gates at each end of said mold cavity; sprue hole means for each of in at the ends thereof in the means for supporting said core arbor; said molding material defining at each end of said cavity an annular recess of substantially the same diameter as said cavity and coaxial therewith; constricted gates connecting each of said rings with said cavity; sprue hole meansfor each end of said mold; and runner means connecting said sprue hole means with its corresponding ring.

JOHN F. KIRBY. 

